Saratoga: High school students raise money for Alzheimer’s cure

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William Chen, 17, with his grandmother Alice Tien, who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease. Chen, a senior at Saratoga High School, created a video with his classmate Daphne Liu to raise awareness about the disease. The pair has received about $3,000 in donations since the video was posted.
(Photograph by George Sakkestad)

Two Saratoga High School students have raised about $3,000 for Alzheimer’s research while educating others about the disease by making a video.

Although the pair ended up making the video for their multimedia journalism class, it didn’t start out that way. When William Chen, 17, and Daphne Liu, 16, were searching for a topic for their video, they realized they had something in common: Both of their grandmothers have the disease.

“I remember telling a friend about the project, and she said old people are so cute,” Liu said. “That’s when I realized that people in our school don’t really know about the condition, and we decided to shed light on the issue.”

Liu said she watches her grandmother suffer every day.

“There might not be a cure right now, but there won’t be one at all if our generation doesn’t start to spread awareness,” she said.

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, the disease destroys brain cells. The progressive disease can develop over many years and is usually seen in the elderly.

The grandmothers of both students live at home with the teenagers’ parents.

Chen said that his grandmother often ends up spending time alone while his mother is taking him places. He said that since Saratoga is pretty secluded, there isn’t much for her to do, and she often ends up walking to Safeway to talk to the store’s employees.

“She asks me the same questions every day,” he said. “She asks what I want to be a lot and what grade I’m in. I usually just answer and try to keep her happy.”

Liu’s grandmother attends a senior day care program on weekdays in San Jose and has a caretaker in the family’s home for when her parents can’t be there.

“Sometimes she will ask me if I’m 12 or 20,” Liu said. “It’s strange because she used to remember telephone numbers off the top of her head. It’s so sad watching someone who can’t remember her own daughter,” Liu’s mother.

Liu said his grandmother often does things that don’t make sense.

“She will forget to put toothpaste on her toothbrush even though I just reminded her to a minute ago,” she said.

Liu’s father likes to keep potted plants in the house, and according to Liu, her grandmother often thinks the plants are the dog’s food bowl and will put dog food in them.

“It’s so important to let her do things, even if it’s frustrating,” Liu said. “It makes her feel like she has a purpose. We used to not let her cook much because it didn’t taste very good, but my dad started letting her.”

Liu said her father has repeatedly told her that it is important for elderly people, especially those with Alzheimer’s, to have a purpose in life.

Chen said his grandmother often does the laundry and then just wants to let it air dry.

“She’s stubborn and if she wants to do something, we just kind of let her do it because it makes her feel better,” Chen said.

The students said they hope people will donate to the cause, but they really made the video to raise awareness about the disease.

“I was definitely surprised by the amount of donations,” Liu said.

The video was posted to the high school’s multimedia journalism Youtube channel in September. It was linked to a GoFundMe account where friends and supporters donated. Although the GoFundMe donations have been closed, the pair hopes people will continue to donate directly to the Alzheimer’s Association.

According to the association, 5 million Americans are living with the disease, and there is currently no cure.

“I think, above all else, if people learn and change their thinking and perspective about the disease, it’s all worth it,” Chen said. “We spent countless nights and hours so that people would be informed, and it would mean a lot if people watched it and learned.”

Liu said that if she could give advice to families or friends who have a loved one suffering from the disease, it would be that it’s out of the patient’s control.

“It’s not their fault they are going through this,” Liu said. “It’s our job to keep them happy.”

Chen said that it’s important to tell people with the disease, like his grandmother, things that will cheer them up.

“It’s important to make her happy in the moment,” Chen said. “When she asks, I say, ‘Yes, I’m going to be a doctor and go to Stanford,’ even though I’m not sure what my plans are yet.”

The full video can be viewed at youtube.com/watch?v=6PE6nTllJzc. To find out more about the disease or to donate visit alz.org.

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